“Sweet Child o' Mine”
Single by Guns N' Roses from the album Appetite for Destruction
Released	1988
Format	Vinyl single (7", 12") Cassette CD
Recorded	1987
Genre	Hard rock
Length	5:56
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Axl Rose Slash Izzy Stradlin
Producer	Mike Clink
Guns N' Roses singles chronology
"Welcome to the Jungle" (1988) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1988) "Nightrain" (1988)
Appetite for Destruction track listing
"Think About You" (8) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (9) "You're Crazy" (10)
Music sample
" Sweet Child o' Mine" Problems? See media help.

"Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. It was released on their debut album Appetite for Destruction on July 21, 1987. "Sweet Child o' Mine" was Guns N' Roses' first and, to date, only number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at the top spot in September 1988. Image File history File links Sweetchildomine. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... For other uses, see Appetite for Destruction (disambiguation). ... See also: Musical groups established in 1988 Record labels established in 1988 // Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... W. Axl Rose[1][2] (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. ... Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English/American guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... Izzy Stradlin (born Jeffrey Dean Isbell on April 8, 1962 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N Roses from 1985 to 1991. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... Appetite for Destruction track listing This article is about the Guns N Roses song. ... Appetite for Destruction track listing Its So Easy (2) Nightrain (3) Out Ta Get Me (4) Nightrain is a song written by the American rock band Guns N Roses in the late 1980s. ... For other uses, see Appetite for Destruction (disambiguation). ... Think About You is the 8th track on Guns N Roses debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song is lyrically similar to Sweet Child O Mine in which Axl Rose sings about his love for his future wife Erin Everly. ... Youre Crazy was originally released on Appetite for Destruction, however the song is an acoustic that was subsequently released again in its original format on G N R Lies, one year after Appetite for Destruction was released. ... Image File history File links Guns_N'_Roses_-_Sweet_Child_O'_Mine. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... This article is about the type of musical group. ... Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... For other uses, see Appetite for Destruction (disambiguation). ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ...

Song

The song is credited as being written by Guns N' Roses as a band; more specifically it contains Slash's riff, Izzy's chords, Axl's lyrics, McKagan's bass line, and Adler's drum line. The subject of the song is lead singer Axl Rose's then-girlfriend and eventual wife, Erin Everly.^[1] Guns N Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. ... W. Axl Rose[1][2] (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Former Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash, has been quoted as having a disdain for the song due to its roots as simply a 'string skipping' exercise and a joke at the time.^{[citation needed]} In a VH1 special, it was stated that Slash played the riff in a jam session as a joke.^{[citation needed]} Drummer Steven Adler and Slash were warming up and Slash began to play a "circus" melody while making faces at Steven. Izzy looked at Slash and said "What is that"? Slash Replied "I don't know just fucking around." Izzy said in reply "Do it again". Adler asked him to play the riff again, and Izzy Stradlin came in with the chords. Axl was listening in his room and wrote lyrics, which he brought to the band the next day, where they finished the song out. However, the final dramatic breakdown was not added until producer Spencer Proffer suggested the band add one. They agreed, but weren't sure what to do. Axl started saying to himself, "Where do we go? Where do we go now?" Spencer suggested that he sing that, and "Sweet Child o' Mine" was born.^[1] In an interview with Hit Parader magazine in 1988, bassist Duff McKagan noted: Saul Hudson (born July 23, 1965), more widely known as Slash, is an English/American guitarist best known as the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses and as the current lead guitarist of Velvet Revolver. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994 and VH1: Music First until 2003) is an American digital television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently... Steven Adler (born January 22, 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American rock drummer. ... Hit Parader is an American music magazine focusing on the genres of hard rock and heavy metal External links Hit Parader website Categories: | ... Duff McKagan (born Michael Andrew McKagan on February 5, 1964) is an American musician and rock bassist, who is best known for his thirteen-year tenure in the hard rock band Guns N Roses. ...

The song has four guitar solos -- one after each of the three times the chorus is sung: The first is a short, simple one, the second is one of regular length, and the third a long, elaborate one, which is the most notable. The fourth is after the song's breakdown. Guitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. ...

Music video

The "Sweet Child o' Mine" video depicts the band rehearsing in an abandoned theater, surrounded by crew members. Several of the band members' girlfriends were shown in the clip. The video was extremely successful on MTV, and helped launch the song to success on mainstream radio.

In an effort to make "Sweet Child o' Mine" more marketable to MTV and radio stations, the song was cut from 5:56 minutes to 4:20, with much of Slash's guitar solo removed. This move drew the ire of the band members, including Axl Rose, who commented on it in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone: "I hate the edit of 'Sweet Child o' Mine.' Radio stations said, "Well, your vocals aren't cut." "My favorite part of the song is Slash's slow solo; it's the heaviest part for me. There's no reason for it to be missing except to create more space for commercials, so the radio-station owners can get more advertising dollars. When you get the chopped version of 'Paradise City' or half of 'Sweet Child' and 'Patience' cut, you're getting screwed."^[3] This article is about the magazine. ... A radio edit is a remix of a musical performance to make it more suitable for broadcast to the general public via radio. ... Appetite for Destruction track listing Paradise City is a song written by the hard rock band Guns N Roses. ... This article is about the 1989 Guns N Roses song. ...

On an interview on Eddie Trunk's New York radio show in May 2006, Axl Rose stated that his original concept for the video focused on the theme of drug trafficking. According to Rose, the video was to depict an Asian woman carrying a baby into a foreign land, only to discover at the end that the child was dead and filled with heroin. This concept was rejected by Geffen Records. Eddie Trunk is the host of the syndicated radio show Eddie Trunk Rocks. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as one third of UMGs Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. ...

There is also an alternative video for "Sweet Child o' Mine" with different captures and the footage entirely in black and white.

Accolades

"Sweet Child o' Mine" placed #37 on Guitar World's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos." It also came in at number three on Blender's 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, and at number 196 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In March 2005, Q magazine placed it at number 6 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The introduction's famous riff was also voted number-one riff of all-time by the readers of Total Guitar magazine. It was also in Rolling Stones 40 Greatest Songs that Changed the World. It places number 7 in VH1's "100 Best Songs of the 80s", and placed #210 on the RIAA Songs of the Century list. On a recent BBC poll, the song was voted to have the "greatest guitar riff ever".^[4] Two issues of Guitar World featuring Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix on the covers, and the accompanying CDs (May 2005, October 2005) Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. ... Blender is an American magazine that bills itself as the ultimate guide to music and more. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... Total Guitar is a monthly magazine in the United Kingdom. ... The RIAA Logo. ... The Songs of the Century list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. ...

Cover versions and re-recordings

“Sweet Child O'Mine”
Single by Sheryl Crow from the album Big Daddy O.S.T.
Released	1999
Genre	Rock
Length	3:49
Label	A&M Records
Producer	Rick Rubin Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"Anything But Down" (1997) "Sweet Child O'Mine" (1999) "Soak Up the Sun" (2002)

The song has been covered by many artists including most recently Texas, Most Precious Blood, Akasha featuring Neneh Cherry, DJ Dougall, Schmoof, Flat Pack, Luna, Chester the Pup, Dead Tongues, DJ Dex & A, and The Aluminium Group. The song was also performed in many live concerts by country singer Carrie Underwood, opening with her alone on acoustic guitar and using her voice to reference Slash's intro guitar tones, before launching into a full band rock-out. Bonnie Tyler performed it on the for Charity DVD Rock for Asia in 2005. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the genre. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... A&M redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Frederick Jay Rick Rubin (born March 10, 1963 in Lido Beach, New York) is a Jewish American record producer and is currently the co-head of Columbia Records. ... Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. ... Anything But Down is a 1999 single by American rock star Sheryl Crow. ... Soak Up the Sun was the first single from Sheryl Crows 2002 album Cmon, Cmon. ... Texas are a pop music band from Glasgow, Scotland. ... Most Precious Blood formed in New York City out of the ashes of an older hardcore punk band named Indecision. ... Akasha are a UK-based electronic music duo, comprised of C. J. Casey and D. J. Hand. ... Neneh Cherry performing live in Vienna (ca. ... Luna was a Dream Pop/Indie Pop band formed in 1991 by Dean Wareham after the breakup of Galaxie 500, with Stanley Demeski and Justin Harwood (Demeski formerly of The Feelies and Harwood formerly of New Zealand band The Chills). ... Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983 in Muskogee, Oklahoma) is an American country singer-songwriter who won the fourth season of American Idol. ... Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Wales, United Kingdom) is a Welsh rock singer. ...

It was partially performed by Linkin Park at Rock am Ring on March 6, 2001, and was also performed by them on September 5, 2004. The Manic Street Preachers also frequently play it as an introduction to their song "Motown Junk" in live concerts. The main riff is also replayed by Red Hot Chili Peppers at the end of the song "Punk Rock Classic". The intro is also sampled in a song on the Fort Minor mixtape, titled "S.C.O.M."(Sweet Child o' Mine). Avenged Sevenfold frequently use the opening riff as a segue between songs during live concerts. Linkin Park is a rock band from Agoura Hills, California. ... Rock am Ring (Rock at the Ring) is a rock music festival held annually in Germany at the Nürburgring racetrack. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh rock band, one of the biggest in Britain for a period in the late 1990s, known for their early wild exploits; the mysterious disappearance and alleged suicide of Richey James Edwards (Richey James, as he preferred to be known); and for a progression... Motown Junk is an early stand alone single from the rock band Manic Street Preachers. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... This article is about the band. ... Fort Minor is a hip hop ensemble and side project created by Mike Shinoda, of Linkin Park. ... For the self-titled album, see Avenged Sevenfold (album). ...

In 1999, the song was covered by Sheryl Crow and re-recorded by the then-new Guns N' Roses members for the film Big Daddy. Crow's version earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. The new Guns N' Roses version which morphed into a live version half way through was not featured on the original soundtrack album of the movie, but can be heard during the movie's ending credits. The song was also featured in the 1990 film State of Grace, in a bar during a brawl. In pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. ... Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. ... Big Daddy is a comedy film starring Adam Sandler that was released in 1999. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1980. ... State of Grace (1990) is an American neo-noir [1] crime film released in September 14, 1990. ...

The first time this song appeared in a movie was in 1988, it played as the credits were rolling for the movie Bad Dreams. ^[5]

It was performed on December 2, 2006 at the Nokia Theatre Times Square in New York City by jam band Umphrey's McGee. is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nokia Theatre Times Square in Times Square, New York City, is an indoor live performance theater with a 2,100 fan capacity, making it a mid-sized New York City venue. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Umphreys McGee is a progressive rock / jam band from Chicago, Illinois whose music is often referred to as progressive improvisation. ...

Black Eyed Peas usually performs the first verses of this song as well during their live shows. Turbonegro uses the intro as Introlick for the Song Bad Mongo played live. This article is about the American hip hop group. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

A cover of the song is featured as a special encore in the music video game Guitar Hero II. GH2 redirects here. ...

Part of the song is featured at the beginning of the episode "Witch Hunt" of the hit CBS show NCIS. Part of the song is used in scenes of a little girl. The song ends when a sound of a gunshot is heard indicating that the girl in the scenes is the deceased daughter of the show's main character Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Witch Hunt is a fourth season episode of NCIS. Spoiler warning: It is Halloween and the team is working at NCIS when a call comes in that a Marine has been shot and his daughter been kidnapped. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... NCIS is an American police procedural television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. ... Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a fictional Chief investigator from the NCIS television series by CBS Television, played by Mark Harmon. ...

In 2005, dance group Flat Pack released a version of the song. It was a minor club hit in Australia.

Steve Morse from Deep Purple played the intro and interlude in Deep Purple's recent UK tour 2007. Steve Morse Steven J. Morse is a rock guitarist and guitar virtuoso, best known for his position as guitarist in the Dixie Dregs and Deep Purple. ... This article is about the rock band. ... This article is about the rock band. ...

Juelz Santana samples the intro riff in his song "From Bottom to Top" LaRon Louis James (born on February 18, 1983), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is a rapper, producer and small time actor. ...

British synthpop due Schmoof covered this song in 2005. Schmoof is a synthpop/electropop group formed in London in 2002 by Sarah Schmoof (vocals, synthesizers) and Lloyd Schmoof (synthesizers). ...

In 2007 indie pop band Taken By Trees covered the song. Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Taken By Trees is the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for The Concretes. ...

Also in 2007, Finnish rock band Second Coming has also made a cover of Sweet Child o' Mine and song usually ends their show.

The song was covered by a Hindustani Music set for Channel V featuring sitars and a tabla. Hindustani (हिन्‍दुस्‍थानी) classical music is an Indian classical music tradition originating in the North of the Indian subcontinent circa the 13th and 14th centuries CE. Developing a strong and diverse tradition over several centuries, it has contemporary traditions established primarily in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. ... Channel [V] is an international music channel chain. ...

In 2008 "Sweet Child o' Mine" was covered in an acoustic version by Taken By Trees, the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for The Concretes. Taken By Trees is the solo project of Victoria Bergsman, former lead singer for The Concretes. ... Victoria Bergsman is a Swedish songwriter, musician and pop vocalist best known as the lead singer for the indie pop band The Concretes from 1995 up until her 2006 departure. ... The Concretes are a popular Swedish indie pop band, currently composed of seven members. ...

• The UK oompah band Oompah Brass [1] recorded an 3/4 oompah version of "Sweet Child O' Mine" on their album Oompocalypse Now (2008) [2].

Live intros

During the Use Your Illusion Tour, Axl Rose would sometimes sing a few lines from songs by other artists as an 'introduction' to the song. The songs used were: The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by the rock band Guns N Roses which ran from May 24, 1991 to July 17, 1993. ...

• Grand Funk Railroad's "Bad Time" (this was often preceded by a few lines of Queen's "Sail Away Sweet Sister". An example of this can be seen on the second half of the band's Live in Tokyo DVD)
• The Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You" (the band would later cover this song in full on the 1993 album "The Spaghetti Incident?")
• Elton John's "The One" from the album The One
• U2's "One" (the only performance of this song occurred at the May 16, 1992 show at Slane Castle in Ireland, the home country of U2)
• Nazareth's "Broken Down Angel" (the only performance of this song occurred at the July 25, 1992 show at the Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• The Hebrew folk song "Hava Nagila" (the only performance of this song occurred at the May 22, 1993 show at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel)

Grand Funk Railroad (aka Grand Funk) is an American rock band. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... DVD cover. ... The Skyliners The Skyliners were an American doo wop group from Pittsburgh fronted by Jimmy Beaumont, best known for their 1959 Since I Dont Have You (popular covers by Chuck Jackson, Don McLean and Guns N Roses have helped keep the song in the public consciousness). ... Since I Dont Have You is a song by doo wop group The Skyliners. ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... The Spaghetti Incident? is the fifth album by hard rock band Guns N Roses, recorded by the early 90s line up, consisting cover versions, mainly of punk and glam songs of the late 70s and early 80s, with the exception of the albums first track, a cover of The... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... This article is about the Irish rock band. ... Achtung Baby track listing Even Better Than the Real Thing (2) One (3) Until the End of the World (4) The Best of 1990-2000 track listing Electrical Storm (William Orbit Mix) (4) One (5) Miss Sarajevo (6) U218 Singles track listing Sunday Bloody Sunday (11) One (12) Desire (13... is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane village, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland. ... For other uses, see Nazareth (disambiguation). ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 through 2000. ... City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ... Hava Nagila (הבא נגילה in hebrew) is a Hebrew folk song, the title meaning Let us rejoice. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ...

References